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I've been sent this "How Much Does your Job Cost You" infographic from Guardian Jobs. It's a nice visual representation of how much time we spend on getting to work and buying coffee and lunch during the working day. In these tough economic times who wouldn't want to save over £260 a year by making their own sarnies!!
This guest article, written by David Shindler explores why having an understanding of employability could add value to your business, to your clients and to your candidates.
Three examples of Candidates
“I’m a project manager and that’s what I do. There are a lot of us looking for jobs. I don’t particularly like it but providing for my family comes first.” They are the words of a 40 something employee of a public sector organisation during a workshop for people facing redundancy to help them recognise and value their talents. How can he differentiate himself from all the other project managers in the marketplace? What other possibilities might be open to him?
Contrast that with a 20 something I spoke with recently at the advice clinic for the National Graduate Recruitment Exhibition: “I have a first degree, an MBA and work experience. Why are employers not responding to my applications? My qualifications speak for themselves.” It isn’t going to be enough, irrespective of job availability. What mindset would make a positive difference?
Take a 50 something technology expert with 25 years experience in the same field and wanting to see out his time before retirement doing “more of the same”. Yet he works in a sector facing huge competitive pressures and demands by plcs for increased shareholder value. What are the potential implications for him of entering the job market? What might he need to do differently?
Employability issues underpin all three of these examples.
What is Employability?
The CBI defines it as “the combination of the attributes, skills and knowledge that you need to have in order to ensure you have the capability to be effective today and tomorrow in the workplace”. The UK Commission on Employment and Skills (UKCES) has also been at the forefront of advising Government about good practice and the policy implications.
From work by the CBI and the UKCES, I have taken 8 main capabilities, broken down into 35 sub-areas, and mapped them onto a four box model based on Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence framework to create an individual’s Employability Window:
• Positive attitude (‘can do’ approach, readiness to take part and contribute, openness to new ideas and constructive criticism, drive to make those ideas happen)
• Self-management (willingness to take responsibility, self-starting, assertiveness, flexibility, resilience, work/life balance, time management, learning and personal development, personal presentation)
• Team working (respecting others, co-operating, awareness of interdependence on others, negotiating/persuading, contributing to discussions)
• Communicating (building rapport, listening, questioning, oral literacy, written work, networking)
• Digital literacy (computer skills, understanding and using the Internet – especially search engines and social media)
• Solving problems (analysing facts and situations, creative thinking for solutions, working collaboratively)
• Numeracy (understanding the role and application of mathematical principles in the work environment)
• Business and customer awareness (understanding the key drivers for business success, innovating, judging risks, understanding the need to build customer satisfaction and loyalty, contributing to the whole organisation)
Inevitably, there is debate about the priorities, focus and emphasis for any given employer and the type of employability skills and mindsets will change in line with the environment (see the Future Work Skills 2020 report1). For example, in a globalised world, trans-cultural understanding is increasingly likely to feature.
The underpinning rationale is that it is no longer enough for people to be good at their ‘subject’ for them to be good at their job. They need their technical or functional expertise to be capable, but adding to their employability ‘set’ of capabilities can make all the difference in getting work, staying in work or moving on.
Employers want people to be employable for their specific organisation. That means candidates staying up-to-date with both technical and non-technical skills. The key is being open to change and self-development. As John Reed, the Chairman of Reeds has said, “mindset will always trump skills”.
Employability is different from being employed which is getting a job or being in a job. That’s tactical. Being employable is more strategic and longer-term. The job or promotion interview is the next wave, whereas being employable is about being an effective sailor whatever the sea conditions. It overlaps with career coaching and career advice which are about identifying pathways through specific fields and sectors.
So what for recruiters?
How can having understanding of employability inform and impact on you as a recruiter?
Professional recruiters know the importance of treating each candidate and employer as unique and addressing their specific needs. We all want to give candidates the very best chance of succeeding; however, with tough economic conditions, four generations now in the workplace and everyone trying to keep up with rapid technological change, getting and staying employed is a challenge in an uncertain world.
How many times have you seen a candidate who may have the technical, subject or functional skills and expertise but lack the mindset, attributes, knowledge and personal skills to be effective in your clients’ workplaces? Do you have candidates who look good on paper but you wouldn’t want to send them to the client because they lack the right mindset or employability skills?You might know they have the potential to offer more but, in my experience, recruiters struggle to give the time and resources to uncover it
The days of working for a single employer doing the same job the same way are over. To continue the sea metaphor, the waves are coming at us quicker and from different angles and candidates will need increasing support to be able to ride the waves.
For example, a common issue for candidates might be re-examining how digitally savvy or literate they are. Many of us are already operating in a world where learning is predominantly ‘social’ facilitated by technology. It will mean engaging with the world of work in a different way for some generations. Understanding how to use LinkedIn, producing creative online profiles, virtual assessment approaches, understanding SEO and keywords – these are the types of profound changes affecting candidates, clients and recruiters. Don’t believe me? Read this
The benefits of embracing employability
Recruiters will benefit from paying attention to employability through:
• A better match of candidates with clients and their needs
• Improving business performance indicators – attracting candidates, right person in the right job, better onboarding
• Contributing to longer-term relationships with clients and improving the return on investment of retained services because your placements stick
• A way of differentiating your business from competitors
• Enhancing brand reputation
Your clients benefit through:
• Cost savings from retaining new recruits so they stay employed for longer
• Candidates more able to hit the ground running
• Value for money from you as their recruitment supplier or partner
• Increased trust in their business relationship with you
3 ways recruiters can support employability
Recruiters can attract more or different candidates by seizing this opportunity to add value to their services, while at the same time demonstrating their social responsibility at a time of economic austerity. Here are some ideas:
1. Broaden by adding employability development to your service offer (if you are not doing it already).
2. Partner with other providers who can complement your service and help develop candidates so they are more employable before facing your clients and have a better chance of success.
3. Sponsor employability development workshops, boot camps or webinars to enhance your brand and attract future candidates and clients.
In survey after survey, employers say they are crying out for better employability skills. In some cases, employers may need to do a better job at making the jobs they offer more attractive.
Whatever your view, what role do you think the recruitment industry in the UK has in enhancing employability capabilities?
David Shindler is the author of “Learning to Leap, a Guide to Being More Employable”, HotHiveBooks. An experienced coach, consultant and facilitator, David helps people at any life stage accelerate their employability. He also owns the Employability Hub, an online forum where people share and learn about employability issues and runs the Learning to Leap group on LinkedIn. Contact him for more details via email at david@employabilitycoaching.co.uk, tweet him @dashcoaching or visit his website.
This year’s GradU8 event is just around the corner; running from the 7th to the 10th November.
GradU8 (brought to you by totaljobs.com’s GRADUATE ZONE – part of totaljobs group) is a free online careers fair giving graduates the chance to chat directly to employers, ask their questions about graduate schemes and work out which companies offer the career path that best suits them.
It is essentially an online ‘virtual’ meeting place where recruiters (exhibitors) showcase their "corporate credentials" and graduate recruitment opportunities.
As well as possible employment the graduate jobseekers can benefit from plenty of career advice.
I know this has been a hugely successful event in previous years and well worth checking out.
Just seen a bit of interesting research by the team at new UK job search engine Adzuna.co.uk. This research, based on their database of 1 million job ads from over 100 job boards, has found that graduates earning a First or 2:1 degree may earn up to 30% more over their careers than their peers with 2:2s or 3rds. Now, whilst you might expect some uplift in salary for the brighter sparks I think that's quite a difference.
They also found that Law, Economics and Civil Engineering were the best paying degree subjects to study, earning double what Tourism, Art & Design and Anthropology graduates can achieve. The study also lists Offshore Oil Platform workers as the best paid profession that doesn't require a university degree at all.
You can see the full findings on the Adzuna jobs blog. Whilst it's a bit late for us to take heed of the advice you'll now know in which direction to (gently) push your children!!
Fancy feeling a little bit crap about yourself as you watch TV, sit on the train, eat your lunch (or whatever you are doing whilst you mess about with your iphone)? Well, now you can thanks to the Salary Survey App from Robert Walters....
Obviously only joking; although knowing you could earn another £40,000 if you'd actually spent any time studying at Uni and had moved to American when you had the chance might put you off your egg sarnie.
Taking data from their superb annual salary survey the app allows you to "determine your market worth". It provides pay rate information for all professionals, including secretary, qualified accountant and marketing manager. You can also compare your pay globally.
Also useful for recruiters preparing for a pitch for a new assignment.
PS, whilst I'm on the subject of salary surveys - check out the Salary Benchmarker from CareerStructure.com. They've surveyed 5,723 industry professionals within the construction industry and created a funky little tool on their site. You select the job title, region, sector and experience level and it churns out the average salary, benefits and "desired benefits".
After yesterday's post I have been thinking a bit more about BeKnown. It’s not that I think it’s rubbish; I actually think it’s quite clever. What I think has been making me grumpy about it is that I think it’s a wasted opportunity. It’s like having your hair done, buying new frock and looking really amazing just to spend the evening staying in with your parents. It’s cool technology on a enormously utilised platform BUT it’s just for one job board.
It would be brilliant if you could use BeKnown to locate jobs from ALL the job boards and ALL the corporate sites; I wish Indeed had invented it. But they didn’t (don’t get me wrong – I like Monster BTW).
I was having a mini rant to Stephen O’Donnell earlier when he came up with the real brainwave (as Indeed can’t invent something already invented)... why don’t Monster integrate with all the other job boards and corporates and use BeKnown as a gateway to the world of work. See, genius!!
TotalJobs are always sending me interesting stuff. To be honest this is a bit more jobseeker orientated than we’d normally use – but I think it’s quite good background stuff.
Over 11% of the UK’s working population are employed in the retail sector and it’s a sector that’s predicted to grow by around 15% over the next 5 years. This makes it a really big business, and one that’s ripe with opportunities for people looking for work.
What does it take to work in Retail?
One of the things that sometimes puts people off working in the retail sector is the thought of working as a shop assistant. Of course, this is an absolutely vital part of retail and the industry couldn’t survive without it, but actually the retail sector is much more diverse than many people think. This means that there is likely to be retail jobs to suit everyone from school leavers and students looking for part time jobs in London to people looking for their next smart career move.
As well as selling goods and customer service, retail also includes aspects such as buying. This involves sourcing and buying products to sell in shops, as well as sourcing materials that can be used in manufacturing before entering the retail chain. You could also find yourself working in design, coming up with new product ideas or in HR, providing professional support to managers and hiring and training new staff. You could also get involved with the financial side of the organisation, making sure all regulations are complied with, or perhaps developing IT business systems to benefit the whole company. Other retail jobs could be taking care of the PR – promoting the company’s products – merchandising products to maximise sales, managing a store or working in retail banking.
As you can see, there is much more to retail than first meets the eye. If you’ve ever thought about working in the sector and are currently contemplating your next move, what are some of the key qualities you should have to make your retail career a success? Of course, this isn’t a comprehensive list as many qualities will vary depending on what sort of job you go for, but hopefully it will give you a guide as to what might be expected of you:
• Customer service. There’s no getting away from it; retail is always going to be customer focused and so this is a really crucial part of working in the industry.
• Forward thinking. Much of the retail sector’s success depends on its ability to continue to develop and grow, so if you can plan ahead and assess the potential impact of decisions, you could be great at this.
• Innovation. Retail also needs things to be done better, faster, to a higher standard and more efficiently all the time. Creative and innovative thinking is vital.
• Management. Retail depends on good management to keep things running smoothly, so this is another really important quality. If you have good time management skills or experience of managing other people, it could be a good career for you.
• Perseverance. Like any other industry, parts of the retail sector are very competitive so determination to succeed is vital in this fast paced environment
Following a recent graduate survey by Totaljobs.com (which compared both graduates and current undergraduates), nearly half of both groups were non-specific when asked which sector they would like to work in after university. Just under half of graduates, and just over half of undergraduates, were looking to enter the job market with an “open mind”.
According to the executive summary from TotalJobs.com public sector jobs have been seen by many to be more of a 'safe bet' than jobs in the private sector, especially during an economic downturn, but with the austerity measures and cuts proposed by the coalition government mean this is increasingly becoming a fallacy.
The survey asked these job seekers thought about the potential of working in the public sector.
When questioned specifically about work in the public sector and what would attract them the most, graduates and undergraduates differed in their leading answer. Most graduates were attracted to the public sector by the potential career prospects (again, possibly the result of a perception that the public sector is more stable than the private sector during a recession), whereas most undergraduates would be persuaded to enter the public sector due to the training opportunities available. These days graduates are aware that transferable skills are a must on a job seeker's CV, so the training in the public sector offer a distinct advantage.
While each group diverged when asked about their initial attraction to the public sector, when asked about which specific area of the public sector attracted them the most, a majority of both graduates and existing students came back with the same answer: 52% of graduates and 55% of undergraduates were interested by opportunities in education. This will no doubt come as music to the ears of Local Education Authorities amid news reports of a nationwide shortage of teachers and falling standards in schools across the UK.
But what about the private sector? As well as escaping the dreaded government cuts, private sector jobs often offer greater financial rewards and incentives, as well as a wider variety of roles in a wider variety of companies for prospective employees. When questioned about working in the private sector, the graduates and undergraduates in our survey both said that securing a graduate-specific role was at the forefront of their minds.
In summary they suggest that even with the current cuts, the public sector is seen as offering a varied and exciting range of graduate jobs and soon-to-be graduates, and while the financial rewards are not always as enticing as those offered by the private sector, there are numerous perks, like flexible working hours, job stability, and fantastic training on offer, along with some of the safest pensions in the job market.
If you’d like a copy of this report just drop me a note and I’ll put you in touch with my contact at TotalJobs.
By the way I'm going to be writing something next week about the superb project Peter Gold and Bill Boorman are working on to match graduates up with recruitment mentors.
I mentioned the Total Jobs Graduate Survey a while back. They've now released an "infographic" to show the outlook, ambitions and expectation of UK graduates.
Total Jobs have taken the data from their graduate user base and I think it contains some interesting data for current and future graduates as well as potential employers and recruiters.
Here are some key insights taken from the report:
The graduate business ethic appears to remain strong with Richard Branson ranking number one in the top ten most admired people, although none of his companies appear in the top ten most desirable employers.
Even in the light of recent government cutbacks, graduates have not rejected the public sector as a career opportunity with 5.7% exclusively looking to the public sector during their Job Search and over 50% considering public sector jobs equally with the private sector.
This pragmatic and flexible approach can be seen elsewhere, with 22.8% of graduates prepared to go anywhere in the world to get a job. However, 38.4% see London as the next step in their employment in recognition that the City offers the greatest number of Graduate Jobs
The survey also found that marketing jobs are the most sought after in the private sector, closely followed by media, new media and creative positions. In the public sector, university leavers are most likely to turn their hands to administration or public relations work.
It's a very funky infographic with some interesting stats... and you can download it for free!
The problem with using Facebook to find a job is that you don't necessarily want a potential employer seeing wall posts from your dodgy mates, photos of you at the tarts and vicar fancy dress party and comments from you saying what a witch your current boss is.
So BraveNewTalent have launched a Facebook app that "allows users to unlock the power of their personal networks to help them find a job and build relationships with potential future employers....it builds a candidate’s professional profile, but respects their privacy."
If you have information about your education, work history and current employer on Facebook that's what organisations can see.
On the employer side the app takes the employer’s profile from BraveNewTalent.com (saving a second being created) and makes it accessible to Facebook users. Where the employer posts news, vacancies, tweets and blogs potential candidates can view them from Facebook. As a user (or potential employee) you can "follow" employers without revealing all that personal information which you want to keep to yourself/your mates.
As well as being able to follow companies you can use your network to see where your friends are working and even better where friends of friends work. The idea being that this could lead to a wider job seeking market. There is also an "introduction" option within the app so you can make contact with someone in the company of interest.
Other features include the ability to search for jobs and share them with friends.
Of course the key to success here is to have a large pool of employers using the system. At present, BraveNewTalent's clients include Bluechip brands such as L'Oreal, Tesco, McAfee and three of the UKs top twenty Law firms with many other large corporate clients in the pipeline for December.
I think it's a great idea to facilitate jobseeking within Facebook, there has been talk of how that's not how users want to use the platform. However, I think all but the most content employee is likely to want to keep their eyes open for new opportunities at all times.
Check out the app or call 0207 734 0400 for more information.
This blog post is based on content provided to me by TotalJobs.com.
Jobseekers are being encouraged not to get disheartened during their job search despite confidence taking a blow at the hands of the economic uncertainty.
While the economy grew by 0.8 per cent in the third quarter of this year, more than double the rate of some City estimates, large numbers of people are still searching for a job; a trend that was highlighted in the recent Totaljobs.com Jobseeker Confidence Survey Report.
In a poll that questioned 6,366 people, almost half (47.19 per cent) are not currently in employment. Of these, more than three quarters were previously in work but now find themselves unemployed for a variety of reasons.
While there's little doubt that jobs have been shed in both the public and private sectors, there is light at the end of the tunnel. The UK's economy has grown by 2.8 per cent over the past 12 months, which effectively ends the economy's chances of experiencing a double dip recession.
A growing economy means the creation of more jobs, something that those seeking employment are being encouraged to take on board. While competition for positions may have increased, the country's employment market is certainly looking a lot brighter.
In spite of the growing optimism, totaljobs' survey also revealed that almost 65 per cent of jobseekers do not believe that companies are loyal to their staff. Their opinions may have been influenced by redundancies, however, with many companies and organisations forced to shed staff in order to stay afloat.
This has been a bitter pill for many employees to swallow, with many remaining concerned about the threat of redundancy going into their next position. While this may be a genuine worry in the public sector, there's every indication that the private sector will be going from strength to strength; rendering the threat of redundancies very small indeed.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, a significant majority of respondents to the totaljobs poll (83.63 per cent) are of the opinion that employer loyalty to staff had decreased since 2008, the year the credit crunch and subsequent recession took their toll on the economy and the employment market.
Despite this apparent negativity, more than 40 per cent of those questioned had worked for their current or previous employer for three years or more; a figure that suggests a strong loyalty between employers and their employees.
The findings may suggest a degree of cynicism among those who have lost their positions, which is understandable given the challenges that many have faced when trying to secure a new job. However, the facts indicate that this cynicism may be unfounded and that loyalty is alive and well in the British jobs market; which bodes well for jobseekers up and down the country.
Recruiters need to be aware of these feelings and encourage their client’s to talk about the ways in they demonstrate loyalty to their staff. As the market improves and jobseekers can start to be more choosy about where they interview they will select those companies about whom they feel the best.
This of course relates to actual recruitment firms too. I know of one company who took on staff just as the recession was hitting only to have to make redundancies week’s later. Being seeing to make bad hiring and firing decisions may have a negative effect as the industry recovers!
Just thought I'd give this a little mention as it seems rather relevant with recent reports of graduate unemployement being at a 17 year high.
TotalJobs Group (well the Graduate Jobs part of the group) are running an online graduate recruitment fair from the 8th to 12th November.
It is essentially an online ‘virtual’ meeting place where recruiters (exhibitors) showcase their "corporate credentials" and graduate job opportunities.
As well as possible employment the graduate jobseekers can benefit from plenty of career advice.
Got to be good for grads - and a nice site too!
According to a totaljobs.com public sector survey, 97.11 per cent of private sector employees would think about a move to the public sector.
With the economy's recovery remaining uncertain, almost a third (30.6 per cent) of those considering the public sector said that job security is the most important consideration ahead of securing a new position.
By contrast, just 12.24 per cent of respondents believe pay is the leading factor, while a meagre 4.03 per cent cited their pension as the most important thing to bear in mind.
It appears that individuals are remaining realistic about salary expectations too, with the most common wage bracket in the public sector being between £15,000 and £20,000.
Almost a quarter (23.06 per cent) of respondents said they would be happy with a salary between these figures, while a further 21.57 per cent said they expected to earn between £20,000 and £25,000 in public sector jobs.
Despite the findings, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) recently announced that public sector employment had decreased by 22,000 during the second quarter of this year compared to the previous three months. However, employment in public corporations increased by 1,000.
The ONS also revealed that employment in the private sector increased by 308,000 during the same period of time.
Careers in the public sector are markedly varied, with professions including teaching, nursing, the emergency services and the armed forces. However, according to totaljobs.com's poll, the most popular roles are within local government, with 53.24 per cent of respondents interested in a position in this field.
These roles aren't limited to governance, though. Local councils are responsible for environmental protection, sports facilities, rubbish and recycling collections and traffic and parking control; all areas that require a team of employees.
Many potential recruits are also believed to be drawn to the NHS, which remains Europe's largest employer with more than one million members of staff. While the immediate positions that spring to mind are doctors, nurses and medical staff, the NHS also has a large administration team and maintenance, cleaning, security and catering departments.
Almost half (48.1 per cent) of respondents to totaljobs.com's survey said they were interested in jobs in London and the South East. Both regions have among the UK's lowest unemployment rates.
With London and the South East being the most densely populated region of the country, there is a constant demand for teachers; a field that many people made redundant from the private sector are retraining in. There are vacancies right the way from nursery through to university.
A further trend the totaljobs.com survey revealed was the emerging popularity of job sharing. Over half (52.06 per cent) of its survey's respondents said they would be willing to share a position if it meant securing it. While this is common in the banking and insurance industries, job sharing has also become commonplace in the teaching and library professions.
With so many diverse opportunities available in the public sector, jobseekers should always keep their minds open to switching away from private employment.
This is the 10th year that the National Online Recruitment Awards (NORAs) have been running and the 9th that I've been a judge (Stephen let me off one year when I was pregnant!). They are hosted by AlljobsUK.com and 1Job.co.uk.
The idea behind the awards is that they acknowledge and reward excellence in online recruitment practice. They are voted for and judged from a candidate perspective. They cover a wide range of online players in the sector, including job boards, recruitment agencies, employers, career advice websites, trade and national publications. In addition there are awards for best newcomer and innovation. This year there is also a "Recruitment Website of the Decade" award - shortlisted from all those who have been finalists and winners over the last 10 years
So, nominations are closing on Friday of this week (if you want to nominate yourself or someone else do it quick!). All nominated sites are put to the Shortlisting panel to decide the finalists for each category. These sites will then be put to the Judging panel (you can see who the judges are here). We then have to "examine and determine which sites perform best".
And then there is the actual awards night. For the 3rd year this is run in conjunction with our very popular Recruiters Network events. The event is being held in central London and will consist of time to network, have a drink with the finalists and other guests and then the awards will be presented. If you want to find out more about the event or register to attend you can visit the registration site.
I will post more about the awards once nominations close and Stephen can reveal the finalists!
I've just come across the funky "media hub" site from the Careers Advice service.
Nothing like I remember careers advice at school (apparently I should have looked to a career in teaching nursery children if you are interested) this is bright colours, videos and engaging content.
Obviously it's aimed at jobseekers not recruiters. However, it's worth a look as somewhere to point jobseekers you can't directly help. For example it contains an article, and video, on the Top 10 CV Blunders as well as advice for mum's looking to return to work.
My only criticism - just not enough content; only six articles added in the past two months. If they can get more material on here I think it'd be a resource well worth letting your candidates know about.
